Near the mid-point of the college basketball season, the strongest impression made by the No. 7 Syracuse Orange was the barrage of 3-point baskets delivered by forward James Southerland in a road victory over Arkansas.

And that may stand as the strongest impression Southerland makes all season, because he will not compete for Syracuse "until further notice" because of an eligibility issue.

Syracuse announced Saturday morning that Southerland was out, but cited "university policy and federal student privacy laws" in declining to present any additional detail about the reason or timing of his absence.

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Southerland is a 6-8 senior from Bayside, N.Y., who is the team's second-leading scorer. He averages 13.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. He makes 37.5 percent of his 3-point field goals but has been streaky since his 35-point outburst against the Razorbacks. Southerland has shot only 7-of-31 from long distance over the past half-dozen games.

The situation is reminiscent of what occurred last year in January with center Fab Melo. He missed three games while dealing with a reported issue, returned to finish the regular season and was named Big East defensive player of the year — and then was unavailable for the NCAA Tournament because of an academic issue.

With Southerland slumping — and now unavailable — it could pave the way for a greater role in the offense for redshirt freshman Trevor Cooney. He was recruited as a shooter, but sporadic playing time has made it difficult for him to get a rhythm. He has made 17-of-60 3-point attempts on the season. Another option to take Southerland's minutes is 6-8 freshman Jerami Grant, who had been getting only 11 minutes per game but has shot better than 50 percent from the field and 40 percent on threes in his limited action.

Grant was the consensus No. 41 player in the 2012 national recruiting class. He is the brother of Notre Dame starter Jerian Grant.